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Travis County Gideon Day speakers urge funding for non‑lawyer public‑defense staff
Summary
At a Gideon Day event in Travis County, speakers including Lori James, Mariela Vargas and Anthony Graves argued that social workers, investigators, peer navigators and other non‑attorney staff are essential to making the right to counsel meaningful and urged concrete funding, training and measurement reforms.
A Travis County Gideon Day event honoring the Supreme Court’s 1963 decision in Gideon v. Wainwright brought together public‑defense staff, advocates and an exoneree who all urged investment in multidisciplinary teams that support criminal defense work.
"We are the backbone and together we are Gideon," said Lori James, executive director of the National Association for Public Defense, naming social workers, investigators, mitigation specialists, paralegals and peer navigators as the "core" staff that make effective defense possible. James told the audience that Gideon’s promise is ‘‘only as strong as its core.’’
Why it matters: Multiple speakers pointed to gaps in resources that leave defense teams unable to gather facts, stabilize clients or…
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